


White Christmas

by bythunder



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, F/M, I Tried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 13:17:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8981299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bythunder/pseuds/bythunder
Summary: It’s stupid, he knew, but he could never reconcile with the idea of a Green Christmas.





	

_“I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know…”_

Jon snapped off the radio with a huff. He liked Christmas well enough most years but he just couldn’t find the spirit this year. It just didn’t feel like the holidays when it was 70 degrees out. Growing up in the Midwest meant snow and freezing wind chills and roaring fires and hot chocolate. _Let It Snow_ and all that. There weren’t a lot of Christmas carols that described a California Christmas.

 _[Can’t believe you’re not coming home this year! Leaving the rest of us to freeze our balls off while you’re soaking up the sun]_ Robb had texted him.

In response, Jon snapped a photo of a palm tree wrapped in tinsel and sent it along. He couldn’t tell Robb how he’d much rather be buried under a foot of snow than sitting in his small room with its broken air conditioner. He’d moved down here about six months ago after he was fired from his ranger job in Canada. It was a messy situation, the police had to remove him from the premises. He had been living in the barracks so without the job he was essentially homeless. Thankfully, his best buddy Sam had just graduated university in California and invited Jon to stay with him for as long as he needed. After three years living in deep north, Jon thought the idea of ‘warm’ was too inviting to refuse. But the novelty of the climate wore off in about two weeks and Jon was longing for something more familiar.

 _[Hey Robb says you’re staying in LA for xmas?]_ From unknown.

The area code was from back home, but other than that he couldn’t guess. He tentatively replied, _[Yeah… Who is this?]_

_[Sansa]_

_[Robb’s sister]_

_[Stark]_

To make sure he understood the point, not that he needed the help, he remembered Sansa just fine, she sent along a picture of herself. Oh, she should not have done that. The last time he’d seen Sansa Stark, she had been an awkward teenager with a shy smile to hide her braces. Three inches taller than anyone in her grade and thin as a beanpole. She had to beg her mom for a training bra because she had no practical use for one.

Well, she definitely had use for one now. _Jesus, Snow, stop looking at Robb’s sister’s tits._ She smiled up at him from the photo on his phone screen, teeth straight and white now that they were free of braces. Where the southern sun had tanned him, it had made freckles bloom across her cheeks, her shoulders, her chest. Her auburn hair, bless those Tully genes, fell in long wild curls over her shoulder. Who knew gawky little Sansa would grow up to be a knock out?

_[Yeah Sans I remember you]_

_[Good this would be really embarrassing otherwise]_ She replied, punctuating her message with an emoji sticking its tongue out. _[I’m stuck out here too so Robb said we should do an orphans holiday or w/e]_

Now that she mentioned it, Jon vaguely remembered Robb telling him Sansa got accepted into college in California. As much as he loved the Stark family as a whole, on an individual level Sansa had never been high on his list. It figures that he hadn’t thought to reach out to her before.

 _[You’re allowed to say no. You won’t hurt my feelings]_ She texted after a few minutes had gone by without him replying.

_[It’s a nice offer, but I wouldn’t be any fun. I’m not feeling the ‘christmas spirit’ this year’]_

_[Why not?]_ Sent with a sad face.

This was already turning into the longest conversation he’d ever had with Sansa. Jon wondered if maybe she was as homesick as he was. Must be, why else would she give him the time of day if she wasn’t lonely too? _[It’s too hot to celebrate]_

She sent another sad face then a flurry of snowflake emojis. It was dumb but that little gesture made him smile. _[Since you don’t want to do Christmas, you grinch, want to at least meet up for coffee or something?]_

She really _must_ be lonely. It was one thing if Robb was looking out for him, but if he was trying to make sure Sansa had a nice holiday… Jon could spare an hour for coffee. _[Sure]_

It took a few more exchanges before they found a day and time when their schedules overlapped, but eight days later, Jon agreed to meet Sansa at the café of her choosing. He arrived after her, and when she saw him she broke out into a grin and hugged him with such force that he had to stumble back a pace to recover his balance.

“It’s _so_ good to see you!” She bubbled and Jon thought she might actually mean it. Not just as a surrogate to the family she was missing but because it was him.

They spent the first hour catching up. Sansa asked what brought him to California, him of northern fortitude when it came to winter weather. He told her in broad strokes about losing his job and relocating and he asked her how school was going. She had only three semesters left before she graduated with a bachelors “in poetry, don’t laugh!” She’d picked the school to follow her high school sweetheart, a heartless brute who dumped her a week before finals sophomore year.

Once they'd covered the important bits of family gossip, they fell into silence, the flow of conversation reaching a halt. As Sansa hummed along to the Christmas carols playing over the speakers, she remembered why they started communicating in the first place. She dropped her drink on the table and pointed an accusing finger at him. “Why aren’t you celebrating this year?”

“I don’t know. It just… doesn’t feel like Christmas here.”

“What do you mean?” She waved around to the decorations in the coffee shop. “Tinsel, trees, cute little cartoon Santas…”

“But no snow.”

“Is that what’s got you in a funk?”

Jon shrugged. “It’s more than just snow. It’s… To me, Christmas has always been snowball fights with Robb and Arya. It’s three layers of flannel long johns just to get to the car. It’s my mom’s homemade hot chocolate.” It’s stupid, he knew, but he could never reconcile with the idea of a Green Christmas. It was the Snow in him. “It’s too hot out for hot chocolate.” He shook the ice in the bottom of her cup to emphasize his point.

“If all you want is cold weather, you should have said something!”

“What, do you have a weather machine in your purse?” he teased.

“No, but I have an idea.” After a quick google search, Sansa yanked him out of his seat and hailed a cab. She discreetly informed the driver of their destination and slide in beside Jon in the back seat.

“Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll love it, I promise.”

“Ok, but my friends know I’m with you, so if I go missing…”

“Ha-ha, very funny. Can’t you just trust me?”

“Of course I trust you, but—”

“Just think of it as your present. No peeking.” She placed a hand over his eyes as if there were something to peek at. All the better, this way she couldn’t see him roll them.

The cab pulled up to the curb and Sansa paid their fare. Jon got a good look at where they’d been dropped off. “Sansa, is this a bar?”

“Yes, but it’s not just any bar.”

“It’s a bar with a gimmick,” he deadpanned.

“A gimmick you’ll enjoy, just come _on!_ ” She tugged at his sleeve and pulled him through the doors into the atrium. She spoke to the hostess who directed them to a large coat closet to the right. _Coat closet?_

“Ok, what is this place?” Jon asked as he watched Sansa shrug into a faux fur coat and neon snow pants.

“You can’t tell?” She passed him a parka and earmuffs. “It’s an ice bar. It’s pretty self-explanatory.”

Wordlessly, they finished dressing and the hostess led them into the bar proper.

It was an ice bar. Sansa was right, he didn’t know how else to describe it. Everything in the room was literally made of ice. The bar itself, the benches, the stools, the tabletops. And it was freezing in here. For the first time in months, Jon shivered and he huffed just to see the little steamy breaths hang in the air. It was a winter wonderland, just like in the song. He shoved his hands under his armpits and grinned. “How did you find this place?”

“You like it then?”

Jon nodded vigorously and made his way to a booth in the corner. Before he could sit though, Sansa stopped him with a hand on his elbow. “No, we can’t sit there!”

“Why not?”

She pointed above him. The bar had been decorated for the holidays, with strings of colored lights and boughs of holly and apparently… sprigs of mistletoe.

Jon laughed at her superstitious nature. “Come on, it’s the only empty booth.”

Sansa looked between the mistletoe and him, eyes pausing briefly on his lips before shooting back up to his eyes. She pursed her lips and wiggled her nose as she thought. “Fine but you have to let me kiss you.”

“It’s just a silly superstition.”

“It’s a tradition and we’re trying to get you in the Christmas spirit, so are you going to let me kiss you or do we need to find a different seat?”

“Fine. Just don’t tell Robb.”

“God, no,” she said as she leaned over and pecked the corner of his mouth.

It could hardly be counted as a kiss, but still Jon felt the brief touch of her linger after she pulled away, warming him from within. Her kiss was soft and he could smell the cherry chapstick she left behind on his lip. He resisted the urge to lick at it, chasing the taste of her. God, it’d been too long since he’d had a girlfriend. He shouldn’t be projecting this onto Sansa. Sweet Sansa who’d given him winter for Christmas without a second thought…

Jon snapped out of his daydream when the waitress set two steaming mugs before them. “Hot chocolate with peppermint Schnapps,” Sansa informed him as she stole a marshmallow from his mug. “Not exactly the way your mom makes, but I think she’d appreciate it.”

Jon took a sip and let out a refreshing _aaah._ This was exactly what he needed and he felt the tension of these past few months start to eke out with his body heat. Losing his job, the homesickness, none of that seemed to matter here, with her. He let Sansa serenade him with Christmas carols and didn’t object when she shoved a Santa hat on his head and pressed her cheek against his for a selfie.

Jon would have gladly stayed all night if it weren’t for Sansa’s shivers. It seemed that even bundle up under that thick fur, she couldn’t stave off the cold forever. Jon paid their tab at the bar (Sansa offered, but Jon insisted since she found the place and paid for the cab, he could cover the cocoa) and they returned to the warm outdoors. It didn’t bother Jon so much now.

“So?” Sansa bumped her hip against his. “Whaddya think?”

“Short of snowballs, it was the best Christmas present I could’ve gotten. Thank you.”

“Now will you come to my place for Christmas dinner?”

“Yeah, sounds like a plan.” He’d seen the light, Scrooge after the last ghost, and suddenly he was in the mood for some holiday cheer.

Sansa clapped her hands together and smiled. “Success! I’ll text you with the when and where.” She hugged him goodbye, she really needed to get back to studying, and left him to find his own way back to Sam’s.

~

Jon paced the hall in front of Sansa’s apartment. This was so dumb, he should just go in, he should just go home. Since Sansa had shown him that bar, they’d become close in a way Jon never anticipated. Every single morning, without fail, she’d send him pictures of the most enchanting winter scenescapes she could find, accompanied with a countdown to Christmas. In response he sent her memes reminding her to study for her upcoming exams. Jon even offered to help but after she showed him a single poem in Ye Olde English Jon was forced to rescind his offer. How she could read that stuff, let alone enjoy it, was beyond him. He did, however, promise to buy her a drink to celebrate the end of a difficult semester.

_[You can come in yknow]_

Jon looked up from his phone to see Sansa standing in her doorway, phone in hand. “Well?”

“Hey. Uh, Merry Christmas.” He shifted the box under his arm and held it out to her. Gilly had insisted he at least bring cookies because “grown ups don’t go to dinner parties empty-handed, honestly, who raised you?” Jon had another gift for Sansa in his jacket pocket, a Christmas present in exchange for what she had given him. He’d spent the last three days battling with the last minute shoppers, searching for something, anything. This is what he gets for never having paid Sansa any mind before, Jon had no clue what she might like. Last night he’d found something but now that he was faced with the reality of giving it to her, he began to second guess his decision.

“These look wonderful, thank you. Come on in.”

She took him by the hand and pulled him in before he could make an excuse to leave. Jon stopped short over the threshold. “Ho-lee shit.”

Sansa’s Christmas spirit obviously had not been suffering this year. Quite the opposite, it looked like someone vomited Christmas all over her small apartment. Lights and tinsel and a small tree in the corner so covered in ornaments there was no green left to be seen. She’d even set up a small toy train on the coffee table running laps around a tiny porcelain village, just like the one Ned would always put around the base of the Stark family tree. There wasn’t a flat surface that didn’t have a nutcracker or Santa Claus or any other number of kitschy knickknacks. And hanging from the ceiling were garlands of… “Snowflakes?” Jon plucked one of the glittery paper cut-outs from where it was hung.

“I spent all week cutting them out. Do you like it? I still haven’t figured out how to give you a snowball for Christmas, but I thought—”

“You did this for me?” There were easily over a hundred snowflakes sparkling around the room. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“If you like it, then it was worth it.” She smiled in that shy way, just like Jon remembered from middle school. What kind of idiot kid had he been not to realize how sweet Sansa was.

Jon fingered the gift in his pocket before deciding that he had to give it to her. After this, he had to offer her something and a bad present was better than none at all. He pulled the package out and held it out to her. “I got you something too. There’s a gift receipt if you hate it—”

Sansa had already torn the wrapping off and gasped when she saw it. It was a little snow globe, keeping with the wintery theme she’d set, with a scene from The Nutcracker inside. The little Sugar Plum Fairy inside twirled when you spun the dial to make the music play. Jon remembered Christmas his senior year of high school, he’d been wrestled into going to the ballet with the Starks to watch Sansa dance. It had been a miserably boring evening for most of them (even Ned dozed off during the second act) but Sansa had danced beautifully that night. When he saw the snow globe, it was the only thing that made sense to get her.

“Oh, Jon, I _love_ it!” She shook it to set the snow swirling and set it in a place of prominence on her bookshelf. “So, um, my roommates bailed on me. I hope you don’t mind if it’s just us tonight?”

That wasn’t what Jon was expecting, an evening alone with Sansa, but now that he was here, he couldn’t just leave. Besides, whatever she was cooking smelled fantastic. “No problem.”

“Great. Dinner will be ready in about half an hour so make yourself at home.”

“Need help with anything?”

“I’ve got it under control. Just relax.”

Jon sat at the kitchen table while she put the finishing touches on dinner. Sansa was expecting her two roommates, Mya and Randa, to be home for dinner, along with their respective boyfriends, so she cooked for six. Now that it was just the two of them, there was entirely too much food. Jon offered to take any leftovers because Sam and Gilly were with his family for the holidays and if Jon could avoid cooking for himself, the better. Sam would be pissed if he came home to find his house burned down.

After dinner, which was an amazing spread of traditional Christmas foods all from the Catelyn Stark recipe book and almost as good as being home again, Jon offered to do the dishes but Sansa told him to not to bother. “Leave it for Mya and Randa, it’ll be their penance for ditching me.” Instead Sansa mixed them cocktails and they settled on the plastic lawn chairs on her balcony, watching the lights of the city.

“I miss it too, y’know. I’ve been living out here for two and a half years. Between working and school, I didn’t go home at all this year. I guess I’ve been a little homesick.”

“Is that why you invited me to dinner?”

She looked at him, surprised and maybe a little offended at his assumption. “I invited you because I’ve always liked you, Jon.”

“Oh, uh, I thought you were—”

Sansa laughed and cut him off. “It’s ok. I know you never liked me that much, Robb’s annoying kid sister.”

“I never thought you were annoying. You were just kind of _there_.”

“Gee, what a compliment. I’m furniture.”

“I’ve changed my mind since then.”

“And?”

“And you gave me a White Christmas in the middle of California.”

“It’s no big deal.”

“Say that to the blister on your thumb.” Jon took her hand in his and swiped his thumb over the angry red spot on hers. It wasn’t hard to guess that it was from holding scissors for however long it took to cut out an entire blizzard’s worth of snowflakes. “I just want you to know I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.” Sansa cleared her throat and directed Jon’s gaze upwards.

Jon was unsurprised to see mistletoe hanging there. In fact, he almost welcomed the sight. “Are you going to let me kiss you?” He asked with a smirk, turning his chair to face her.

Sansa bit her lip and nodded. She leaned forward to meet him halfway as they kissed beneath the mistletoe a second time. The cherry chapstick taste Jon had been fantasizing about was replaced with the lemon drop she’d been drinking, which only served to prove that this was really happening.

Sansa was giggling and red-faced when they separated. “Merry Christmas, Jon.”

It occurred to Jon that she must have had this in mind when she hung the plant in the first place, when she invited him out on the deck. And he decided he didn’t mind having an excuse to kiss Sansa Stark. Which is what made him ask her out for New Year’s Eve.


End file.
